Yearly Archives: 2013

True Temper XP Golf Shaft Review

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True Temper XP 95 Iron Shaft

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

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The True Temper XP 95 is the first of a new family of iron shafts from True Temper. It is an evolution of the GS series which it will be replacing. Like the GS family, it uses a special steel alloy which has higher tensile strength allowing for lighter weight designs. That alloy has evolved from what True Temper designated as S3 in the GS75 to S5 in the XP models.

True Temper testing and player feedback is addressing the low spin balls designed to deliver driver distance. Those balls do not spin enough to get distance and drop and stop performance on longer irons. To address this, True Tempers current generation of iron shafts are aimed at increasing spin. This is also addressed in the design of the Dynamic Gold Pro progressive launch model also releasing in 2014.

The True Temper XP uses a dual step pattern. Longer steps near the butt of the shaft, shorter steps closer to the tip. The longer steps. smaller changes in diameter per step, are called speed steps by True Temper. The shorter steps create a quicker loss of stiffness in the shaft as it gets closer to the tip. It is this property of the shaft that increases launch. That progressive stiffness loss can be seen in the EI bend profile.

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Russ

I had a chance to talk to Bill Lange, the True Temper Director of Sales, at the 2014 PGA Merchandise show about the XP shafts.

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The XP 105, available exclusively from Mizuno in 2014 is the first expansion of the XP family of shafts. I am told we will see both 85 and 115 gram versions in the near future.

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Russ

Fujikura Fuel Golf Shaft Review

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FUJIKURA FUEL DRIVER SHAFT

By Kirk James & Mark Vallier, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
MK Golf Technologies,San Antonio, Texas

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The Fujikura Fuel shaft was introduced just prior to the 2013 PGA Merchandise Show and was named “the most talked about shaft at the Show”. The Fuel continues to create a lot of buzz in the print media and on the internet. Let’s take a closer look and see what all the buzz is about.

According to Fujikura, the Fuel is a low launch/low spin shaft designed for drivers, fairways and hybrids. The shafts are constructed with a series of high modulus carbon plies oriented at 45 and 90 degree angles in the butt and mid sections which their engineers claim reduce ovaling during the loading and unloading of the shaft. We have found through our testing and fitting process that the Fuel shafts are extremely stable with low launch and low spin characteristics as claimed by Fujikura.

Like many shafts, the Fujikura Fuel profiles vary with weight. As you will notice in the EI bend profiles below, the 50 gram shafts have a fairly soft overall profile with a relatively stiff tip. This stiff tip feature makes this shaft feel extremely tight and stable for a mid 50 gram shaft. We have found through our fittings that it will feel and play slightly stiffer than its flex rating. It is an excellent light weight option for a player that can load a shaft or that has a quicker tempo, or both.

The 60 gram, Tour Spec 60 gram and the 70 gram models have a slightly different bend profile than the 50 gram models. These heavier models are stiffer in the butt and mid sections, with a smoother profile in the tip section. The stiffer butt and mid sections make these models feel extremely stable (ie stiff) in the hands and give these shafts an overall stiff feel. The low torque of these shafts adds to their overall tight/stiff feel at impact. Our testing and fittings confirm that these are definitely low launch shafts.

The Tour Spec 70 gram S and X flex models have a very different profile than the other models. The bend profile shows a very stiff upper-mid section with a smooth but rapid decline in flex to the tip. These models are again extremely stable because of the stiff mid section, and are excellent choices for heavy hitters looking to lower ball flight in both drivers and fairways.

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Fujikura Fuel Tour Spec 70 gramFuel_TS_Image

 

Our testing and fittings confirm that the Fujikura Fuel shafts definitely provide the low launch characteristics claimed by Fujikura. The 50 gram models have slightly higher launch and spin than the other models, but are still low for a mid-50 gram shaft. The design, construction and bend profiles of these shafts contribute to the overall stiff/tight feel that the player will experience when playing these shafts. The Fuel shafts are a good option to consider for a player looking to lower his or her launch conditions.